tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post1707023670849428759..comments2023-10-11T04:09:53.564-07:00Comments on materfamilias writes: Sorting What I've Seen, Travel Observationsmaterfamiliashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-50873289320140852592014-08-07T06:45:04.355-07:002014-08-07T06:45:04.355-07:00Thank you! Thank you! materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-42482077236484170172014-08-06T15:18:06.471-07:002014-08-06T15:18:06.471-07:00You are definitely a writer! "a rapt listene...You are definitely a writer! "a rapt listener at the elbow of someone else's day"... so perfect it takes my breath away. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-41482220513333697742014-07-13T09:30:33.825-07:002014-07-13T09:30:33.825-07:00Thanks so much, Ceri, for taking the time to formu...Thanks so much, Ceri, for taking the time to formulate such a thoughtful response. It's the kind of response that makes me feel the vulnerability assumed in writing the post is worthwhile...I do sometimes feel, as much as I know my family loves and appreciates me, that my role as mother can get in the way of being seen. And I also know that some of my habits and my observations are better suited to my university office or classroom. . . <br />Please don't feel your comments are too long. Sometimes it just takes time to say things carefully . . .much appreciated.materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-37932936550788943922014-07-12T23:26:17.674-07:002014-07-12T23:26:17.674-07:00Late as ever to this party, but I have been mullin...Late as ever to this party, but I have been mulling over how to respond in less than 500 words. There is so much in this piece and, as previous friends have said, you are a gifted writer and express it so well.<br /><br />So, re the heightened awareness of our surroundings when we are away: yes, me too and isn't if wonderful? I feel as though I leave behind a layer of skin when I land up in a foreign (in all senses) country. Everything is fascinatingly different and everything is worth pausing to look at for the glimpse it offers of the fabled past and the quotidian present of the local inhabitants. This is probably because, being on holiday, we have the time to stop and stare but I also sense a return to a state of childlike wonder. Time travel indeed.<br /><br />Re the sinking of the apercus beneath the waves of family life - yes, me too again. I wonder whether this is down to a conjunction of two states. One is that, regardless of our roles outside the home, our family always see us first as mother, sister, wife and relate to us in that way. (Although I for one was not convinced by Hillary Clinton's insistence that she had to race home from some conference in the Far East to supervise the table decorations for Chelsea's wedding) The other is that we all have our particular professional learned, but now almost innate, skills. For example, a dentist once commented that he sees people not in terms of their faces or figures but in terms of their teeth. May I suggest that as you are an academic, one of yours is that, when a thought or an observation strikes, then you play with it, examine it, throw it around and finally put it into words. Should you be with a colleague then an interesting discussion could ensure but, if in a family environment, by this time the moment has passed.<br /><br />Gone on too long again - sorryCerinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-36776997289957173022014-07-11T07:40:58.132-07:002014-07-11T07:40:58.132-07:00You are too kind! I find this very encouraging, co...You are too kind! I find this very encouraging, coming from someone who writes so well herself and has such a fabulous blog. Thank you!materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-50450006359385257052014-07-11T07:40:17.487-07:002014-07-11T07:40:17.487-07:00Thanks so much! This is part of what I was trying ...Thanks so much! This is part of what I was trying to say in my reply, above, to Duchesse's comment, that we glimpse something of the writer's essence in seeing what details s/he focuses on. materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-47077963259408965052014-07-11T07:38:48.110-07:002014-07-11T07:38:48.110-07:00I strive to be a good listener as well. At the ver...I strive to be a good listener as well. At the very least, even those snippets that are particular to the observer reveal something to me about that observer.<br />Thanks so much for introducing me to your friend's blog. Her honesty and intelligence shine from every post.materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-85694736972398908932014-07-11T07:37:04.501-07:002014-07-11T07:37:04.501-07:00Thanks for the encouragement, Lilibet. And what a ...Thanks for the encouragement, Lilibet. And what a pleasure to have a commenter who combines "affective" and "effective" so effectively. It's interesting what you say in that sentence -- I do think that, in the long run, I probably do derive more benefits from writing these observations than I would from simply sharing them verbally at a social gathering. Hmmmmmaterfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-51527947241903899542014-07-11T07:35:07.716-07:002014-07-11T07:35:07.716-07:00Thanks so much, Lorrie. I'm glad you emphasize...Thanks so much, Lorrie. I'm glad you emphasize context -- I didn't mean to suggest that my family isn't interested in what I'm saying or willing to listen, but the opportunities are not so often there for the exchange I sometimes crave. Here, on the keyboard and screen, I get a chance to really indulge my desire to articulate what I observe. <br />Isn't the Cassandra Pages great? You'll want to follow her sketching. materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-12254204993528238742014-07-11T07:32:28.757-07:002014-07-11T07:32:28.757-07:00Yes, the great thing about the blog is that I can ...Yes, the great thing about the blog is that I can spill out my observations and those who are interested will stay to read; those who aren't will just move along. I never need to know I'm being cut off, mid-sentence ;-)<br />I'm glad you enjoyed discovering Parisian Fields -- they only post occasionally but what they do tends to dig more deeply into Paris than so many blogs -- they cover history, art, social mores, etc. materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-77510517578089977222014-07-11T06:59:38.020-07:002014-07-11T06:59:38.020-07:00I am enthralled by your writing!I am enthralled by your writing!The Style Cronehttp://stylecrone.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-32267608934963858222014-07-10T18:47:36.009-07:002014-07-10T18:47:36.009-07:00I have enjoyed reading about your family travels a...I have enjoyed reading about your family travels as only you can tell them. I agree that one's recollections are filtered by one's life experiences and the recollections are personal to that individual. The beauty of this is that each shared detail opens a tiny window on the soul of the writer. Keep writing!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-72652797775092004692014-07-10T08:09:59.270-07:002014-07-10T08:09:59.270-07:00I wrote this last night just before closing the co...I wrote this last night just before closing the computer. This morning I came back and went over to the Cassandra Pages. An excellent post. Thanks.Lorriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03653026442945027184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-35511946438903404162014-07-10T05:41:11.622-07:002014-07-10T05:41:11.622-07:00Sometimes we get our audience and sometimes not. W...Sometimes we get our audience and sometimes not. When on the receiving end of someone's passionate recollection, I try to respect her enthusiasm and enter into her experience- though for many small snippets of life, it's particular to the observer.Those memories will be yours forever even if others don't wholly relate- and as Lilibet wisely notes, they fuel your writing. <br /><br />Sharing the love for Beth's blog; The Cassandra Pages is truly special.Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986153653120526776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-54748250327703125842014-07-10T01:20:40.144-07:002014-07-10T01:20:40.144-07:00Please, lots more pictures and anecdotes from your...Please, lots more pictures and anecdotes from your travels. I am especially enjoying them, travelling vicariously through your blog now that our plan to move to Malta for a year has had to be postponed 'til next year. <br />Articulating impressions, to crystallise and form them into a small jewels for memory is perhaps more affective and effective in writing than the spoken word.<br />Lilibet <br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-69088192123065695102014-07-09T21:50:21.881-07:002014-07-09T21:50:21.881-07:00In writing, one's thoughts become distilled as...In writing, one's thoughts become distilled as we separate the mundane and the meaningful. It's intensely personal. What speaks to me may not speak to another. It's tricky trying to convey impressions in a gathering where so much is going on. Unless the conversation is focused upon such a topic, a sentence or two seems to suffice and the flow of words moves on. Is it not the poet, the essayist, the painter, the writer who attempts to communicate impressions? The reader becomes as engaged as she likes and is free to move onto other topics at will. <br />You are a skilled writer who engages your readers thoughtfully. Lorriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03653026442945027184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-19430931489890332212014-07-09T19:21:03.532-07:002014-07-09T19:21:03.532-07:00Every little detail of a street can be important t...Every little detail of a street can be important to me. The signs, a window where I stop to wonder about the occupant, some connection to a book or a poem are all part of my experience of a city. I often find that even when I have company, I can not share my observations or feelings. Thank you for the Parisian Field link because I lived on Rue St. Jacques for 5 months in 2012 and passed that intersection often. On reading the description and looking at the photos, I felt that I was in Paris again. I think that the blog does provide an opportunity to express those details which will be appreciated by some readers and not appreciated by others. Personally, I always am keen to read about your insights and experiences.Madame Là-bashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16703782237948233124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-5928124255566515562014-07-09T18:24:36.091-07:002014-07-09T18:24:36.091-07:00It truly does put it all in perspective. Thanks so...It truly does put it all in perspective. Thanks so much for the encouragement. It's so good to be able to share those tiny things that do matter to me and find that sometimes they resonate with a reader! materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-43353591924147031672014-07-09T18:23:26.832-07:002014-07-09T18:23:26.832-07:00Hmmm, I can see that my upbringing in a large fami...Hmmm, I can see that my upbringing in a large family might seem the reason for feeling unlistened to occasionally. In fact, I was the oldest (of 12), and I suspect my younger sibs would say I got the soapbox often enough. . . <br />But it's worth thinking about, as is the constant attempt to articulate what one observes. As for the connection between the specific and the general or universal, this always tempts, but I always worry about presuming to get there too quickly. But then worrying seems to be my superpower. . . thanks for the hypothesizing, nothing here to retract and I appreciate the push to my own thinking.materfamiliashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16062766947897513369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-20210822362715747042014-07-09T12:32:32.969-07:002014-07-09T12:32:32.969-07:00Life is like that. Tiny things matter. Everythin...Life is like that. Tiny things matter. Everything else flows by. And you have been to the Pantheon where people in togas chatted in Latin. Puts life in perspective. Shove it, Lady Gaga. Keep writing, Mater. We will keep reading.anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09784336429060492455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4904021173466473381.post-86123937975153411872014-07-09T10:57:51.993-07:002014-07-09T10:57:51.993-07:00I have a lot of thoughts here. I hope you don'...I have a lot of thoughts here. I hope you don't mind my hypothesizing a tad - I'll retract anything that's inappropriate. I can only imagine what it was like to be one of 11 children. Wonderful, but also hard to get the proverbial word in edgewise. Then a mother of 4, again, lots of other talkers. This blog is your place to talk, for us to respond as invited. So speak freely.<br /><br />In terms of details, and their import, I feel as you do. If we want others to share our reactions, I think it's a question of learning to articulate one's reaction both concisely and universally, connecting the specific and the general. Which ain't easy. In any case, I enjoy and appreciate your increasing revelations of how it feels to be you. Everything makes more sense.LPChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18209861350905135093noreply@blogger.com